Celebrating Christopher Wink and 10 Years of Technical.ly

Christopher Wink is a journalist and entrepreneur who cofounded Technically Media, a digital media company best known for publishing Technical.ly, a news organization that serves a community of technologists and entrepreneurs. He is writing a book on how a journalistic approach can help reach business goals.

In 2022, Wink was named to City & State's Power 100, and in 2019, Wink was given the ‘Community Leadership Award‘ by the Urban Affairs Coalition. In 2017, Folio magazine listed him as one of the 100 most innovative media leaders in the country.

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Transcript

00:03.45
Chris Wink
I would.

00:07.25
wearabletakeover
Hello hello and welcome to another episode for season ones part 2 of wearable takeover we are the official pad that is covering. Wearable technology the innovators that support it and contribute to it and folks I'm so excited because let me tell you something while we were in the green room I had one of the leading minds on the East Coast helping me troubleshoot I mean we are true techies okay true nerds true geeks we're just working it out altogether it.

00:35.36
Chris Wink
Where did that person go.

00:40.10
wearabletakeover
And we were like let's get polished. Let's get polished but but just know that when things went wrong. We had the right people here so that we can troubleshoot together but I'm so excited guys because I'm gonna tell you who my special guest is and we were joking that we're gonna create like a calendar of like the cool techies. But anyway, there's something special that's happening um in the startup world. It's a big thing to raise rounds. It's a big thing to get a team but we're celebrating ten years ten years of thought leadership.

01:15.23
Chris Wink
Wow.

01:17.21
wearabletakeover
10 years of curating tech partnerships 10 years of curating tech news. So let me tell you a little bit about my guests folks because you want to make sure that you are listening to this entire. Episode and I am incredibly honored to have Chris wink the co-founder and Ceo of the news organization technically with us today. So folks while I'm reading his bio I'm so excited Chris oh let's go I'm so excited folks I need to make sure that you are going to the show notes.

01:41.32
Chris Wink
Um, hey thanks I'm very excited.

01:53.10
wearabletakeover
While I'm talking make sure that you are following technically on Linkedin on Instagram and all their other platforms. But let me tell you a little bit about Chris he's so humble. But in 2022 yeah

02:06.86
Chris Wink
Yeah, would see what my wife would say about that. But I appreciate it. Got it.

02:11.56
wearabletakeover
Well, she's listen she could chime in you know, share share her thoughts on this but let me tell you folks so in 2022 Chris wink was named to city and states power 100 and in 2019 he was given the community. Leadership award by the urban affairs coalition and guess what he didn't stop there back in the day in 2 17 folio magazine listed him as one of the 100 most innovative media leaders in the country. That's what we have here. Folks. So let's give our virtual round of ah.

02:36.69
Chris Wink
Um.

02:46.81
wearabletakeover
Clause for Chris wake.

02:48.33
Chris Wink
Wow that well that that's quite an introduction I have not it seems that I've not cracked the the the hundred list and in in all 5 years like the list keeps saying a hundred sounds I maybe they have to do better.

02:59.46
wearabletakeover
Um, well you know what for the next ten years we want to see you on the top 50 right? And so our community gets.

03:05.50
Chris Wink
Got it and then yeah, but how I'm eighty I'll make the top 5 Maybe I'll do like you know, five over eighty is could be to be a goal of mine. Yeah I like that that's very.

03:14.26
wearabletakeover
Ah, well you know what Chris we have to make sure we give you your flowers seriously because we were talking pre-show and we're on the East Coast Chris you are in Philadelphia is that correct. Yes.

03:27.90
Chris Wink
Um, at at the moment I am it's stroke.

03:30.81
wearabletakeover
He's in Philadelphia I'm in Baltimore and let me tell you Chris led the charge of curating tech content. Um curating tech ah culture and networking events across the East Coast and he's been at this for 10 years with his entire team. That's important.

03:49.14
Chris Wink
Future I got it I gotta date my myself even more. It's actually it's almost fifteen years of doing it in Baltimore for 10 years um so like I mean I don't know if I'm supposed to interject and say that I'm even older than that. But um, well yeah, so.

03:53.37
wearabletakeover
Oh my gosh. Yes, please do because we have to give you your flowers people need to know but schoolless schoolless more than okay so tell us about the other the five years before that tell us about that.

04:06.38
Chris Wink
Wow. Well so I mean I guess you're making me do math now. So we we started in 2009 and so and and early does 9 end of 2 us and 8 we were doing like the planning. So so what is that so it's it's so really be 2023 so so 14 years we're about 14 years old

04:21.26
wearabletakeover
Wow oh my gosh? Okay, okay so Chris let let's take it back a little bit right? So you're a journalist. You're an entrepreneur co-founded technically media and so for those of you that are still wondering. What is technically media.

04:29.63
Chris Wink
Um, yeah, sure.

04:35.33
Chris Wink
Um, sure.

04:38.20
wearabletakeover
It's a digital media company. Best known for publishing technically and it has like a DotLY right and it's a news organization. It is clever is a news organization that serves a community of technologists and entrepreneurs and then as he's telling us his story Chris is also writing a book.

04:42.85
Chris Wink
How clever.

04:56.24
wearabletakeover
On how a journalistic approach can help reach business goals I mean let's just say fabulous all the way around. Okay so Chris.

05:01.84
Chris Wink
Wow wow.

05:05.11
wearabletakeover
You know what? let me let me take it back I don't know if you've ever seen this um or heard this song back in the day called love of my life but you know what when did you first fall in love with tech I gotta know Chris.

05:17.26
Chris Wink
Um, interesting. Well so yeah I mean one of the interesting parts of starting technically is I wasn't an early lover of technology and still I'd be made fun of for not being I'm not an early adopter in a true sense I'm the the thing this will sound. Silly, but truly I I Love people and I happen to like clever people especially and so in and around what were becoming technology communities in the early two thousand s um, they were some of the most interesting people I ever met.

05:34.83
wearabletakeover
So.

05:49.98
wearabletakeover
And.

05:51.40
Chris Wink
So it's the people who brought me to the technology as opposed to the technology that brought me to the people. Um I think so I think the answer is it probably took me years of reporting with technically before I finally came to find a real love and appreciation for emerging technologies and. Just the magic that can come from them so technically gave me a love for technology as opposed to the other way around.

06:18.11
wearabletakeover
You know I love that answer and I feel like we're 2 peas in a pot because Chris you know as you know you your organization has covered me and my journey at least 4 or 5 times I've been a big supporter.

06:21.75
Chris Wink
P.

06:28.88
Chris Wink
Um, you mean an incredible journey now.

06:31.77
wearabletakeover
Yes, you've you've been a big support of tech remixed our virtual hackathon that we launched last year which was the world's largest wearable tech hackathon and technically was there and so folks by the way you know you can still go and register for technically a newsletter you know, just just dropping that little hint there but I say we're 2 peas in the pod because.

06:38.41
Chris Wink
Um, oh dang shout out.

06:44.92
Chris Wink
Love that.

06:49.67
wearabletakeover
I did not come from a formal technical background but I was always curious and hung around amazing people with these amazing brains and so there's a lot to be said for those of you that still might be saying oh I don't belong or I shouldn't listen because I don't have that formal training folks. Let me tell you. If you have any ounce of curiosity if you are intrigued by how people think and things you know how clever they are well this is for you too. This ecosystem is for you too and you do belong.

07:21.29
Chris Wink
Yep.

07:25.56
wearabletakeover
You do belong. Okay, so Chris do you get challenged like do people ask you can you code and stuff like that.

07:30.73
Chris Wink
Oh for sure. Yeah I mean um yeah I think like I mean both in the in the in the in this serious sense like that you know what? what languages do I work in um, but also the I I would always get the the the.

07:47.99
Chris Wink
Genuine questions from family members that would amount to can you fix my printer like I would I would definitely get both of those questions and my reflexive answers were usually do you think the war correspondent was a particularly good soldier or not and. No, having known my fair share of War correspondence. They are not the people you necessarily want to be carrying firearms to the front lines. They have a different skill set they happen to be adjacent to the people who do that work. Um, there's similarity. There. Um, and yeah, there's there's a., There's just like a there's just an adjacency that I think comes with anyone who has journalistic instincts. Um, you're not, You're not at the center but you're sure interested in the center that bit you're saying about intimidated I think is worth.

08:39.79
wearabletakeover
Um, very deep.

08:44.93
Chris Wink
Picking up on I think that's that is something that has always interested me in how intimidating um technology is a word can be and the many things we mean by it. Um I I just say it a lot because I think about it a lot that I am. Had a few jobs I was a plumbers apprentice for a few years and and worked in in construction a couple complete years before I and as I was starting my reporting career and I had ah a general contractor boss who loved to say don't blame the hammer and his intention was always you know.

09:17.31
wearabletakeover
E.

09:23.99
Chris Wink
People like to blame tools because it removes the stress on themselves. Um, but it also always reminded me that people would get intimidatings. You know that right? like like oh I don't want to do that that do it yourself home project because I'm intimidated by it when there's just an explosion of available like. You know Youtube content where you can do a lot of house projects and similar technology that this this is stuff that's approachable. Um, but it's intimidating. There's an enormous barrier. It's more emotional and social than it is intellectual.

09:46.98
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

09:54.61
wearabletakeover
Well, you know what? you're a success story in that you've overcome and and possibly still deal with some intimidation because there's some sophisticated some sophisticated stuff out there but I would say that you have successive success. Why can't I talk today successfully overcome impotor syndrome.

10:10.85
Chris Wink
Um, very intimidated are.

10:14.44
wearabletakeover
And and that's why you're at a place now where you're celebrating 10 years in Baltimore 14 years in business based out of Philadelphia so I want to know from your lands because you've seen a lot one. How have you been able to sustain and grow and mind you for folks if you don't know. Just came through a pandemic. Okay, so just came through a pandemic the landscape overall is changing what has been your recipe to your recipe for success.

10:33.50
Chris Wink
Yeah.

10:47.49
Chris Wink
Um, well I mean yeah, obviously embedded in that question whenever it's asked is is how anyone defines success. Um, and that.

10:54.93
wearabletakeover
Good.

11:00.94
Chris Wink
Is so variable for each of us on our own Journeys right? Like what's successful for any of us at any given age is different than what it will be at a different time. So it's There's a lot success is more time bound than I think we believe it to be um but I.

11:02.80
wearabletakeover
Yes.

11:14.41
wearabletakeover
And.

11:19.65
Chris Wink
Catch the implication of your question and um I mean a couple of things stand out to me when I talked to other entrepreneurs who built bigger things and um or it had more scars than I do I think a lot about the line. If you're worrying about it. You don't have to worry about it and by that it means it's often the danger you didn't see coming that really knocks on your butt If you're sweating something you're probably going to get through it because you'll work your way out of it. Um.

11:44.41
wearabletakeover
2

11:53.39
Chris Wink
The the catch 22 of it is you got to worry about it to not worry about it. So That's the that's the trick. Um, so that that is ah a big part of it. There's a kind of vigilance I want it I care about it something I Love those are all things that I think you find you know. Across any number of entrepreneurs the ones who've grown the biggest things or the ones who are just happy with their you know, really successful like self-employment consultancy I think the range is usually if they're doing something that they're willing.

12:30.35
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes, yes, yes you know I'm glad you gave a real answer. You didn't sugar coat it because you hit on a couple things 1 you gotta love it 2 You got to dig in.

12:30.99
Chris Wink
To dig in for over the long term So that's the answer. What quote unquote success looks like for me at least? yeah.

12:50.80
wearabletakeover
And 3 you got to have that long vision that long game I was speaking at the Philadelphia women's conference a few years ago and there were some doctors and some other women that were there that came to my table to ask for advice and I said if you can't see yourself committing to this for 7 years don't do it.

12:51.80
Chris Wink
In.

12:57.61
Chris Wink
Me.

13:07.17
Chris Wink
For her if we.

13:09.67
wearabletakeover
Don't do it it' it's just gonna be a waste of time and so I'm wondering you're you're developing a new book for folks in the arena of technically hopefully they they if they're signed up to the mailing list. They'll get the first updates and I'm sure you have some advice for these folks. Um, some additional things that you've learned over the past fourteen years can you give us a little snippet of what we can expect in that work.

13:34.75
Chris Wink
Um, yes, yeah, so so the the the book Proposal book project that I'm that I'm um I'm working on is um, the belief that.

13:40.64
wearabletakeover
I.

13:50.72
Chris Wink
Journalism like skill is showing up in places far beyond news organizations and there's a whole basket of lessons that can be translated outside of the news organization context. Um the a metaphor I'm working with is. Cpr training is informed by what paramedics do, but no one who gets cpr training thinks they're paramedic and I think there are a lot of lessons like that that can be taken outside of news organizations 3 big categories of people that I'm finding are increasingly doing journalism like stuff.

14:14.33
wearabletakeover
Who.

14:28.53
Chris Wink
Whole cast of independent creators who are increasingly doing fact checking and digging deeper on the stories. They are telling to dot try to differentiate themselves. There are marketers who are trying to build a defensible moat around their business with community they are doing richer. Data based projects that are doing analysis that looks a lot like spreading news and information. Um content marketers are doing some of the most incredible and interesting storytelling and they're really differentiating themselves and they're fighting for independence inside their organizations. Um, and a whole cast of of advocates and nonprofit leaders who recognize if they want a community around their mission um informing storytelling around that work is necessary to differentiate themselves on the web. So. Creators marketers advocates are using journalism like skill and they don't consider themselves and aren't journalists but much of what they do can be informed by what news organizations have figured out over 5 centuries.

15:31.50
wearabletakeover
You know I think that's important because I serve on a board for aaas their Hbc making and innovation initiative and 1 of the core components that we've been drilling into these emerging innovators is that of curating content and.

15:38.45
Chris Wink
E.

15:46.60
Chris Wink
In.

15:49.67
wearabletakeover
Technically has transitioned in the way that content has been curated over the past ten years and it sounds like you're dropping a blueprint for those that may be curating content. But then you're also modeling how to transition and curating that content for your audience. So.

15:52.67
Chris Wink
Um, yeah.

16:06.77
wearabletakeover
Can you tell us a little bit about how you have evolved and how that plays into this blueprint that you're sharing with the listeners today as well as in the technically audience.

16:17.37
Chris Wink
Um, yeah I mean but I'm I'm like a great recession kid so like I'm part of that maybe cliche of of. Quote unquote accidental entrepreneur that I thought I was going to be a pretty straightforward journalist working for some you know, regional newspaper somewhere. But in the 10009 depth that great recession I was even more unemployable.

16:51.65
wearabletakeover
Who.

16:51.66
Chris Wink
And I would later become and I I took journalistic work. Seriously I was passionate about it. It conformed to my worldview the belief that being challenging can be annoying in the short term. But. It. It ends up rendering something better for all involved later when it's done with good faith. So I believed in the practice but I couldn't get a job at it and so I think as we were starting technically I remember some. Old school people of an industry that I cared about who thought we weren't journalism and often were really I remember being oh yeah man I definitely had some very like painful early twenty somethings of twenty something years of like.

17:32.92
wearabletakeover
They said what.

17:46.26
Chris Wink
People that I thought I was trying to be being like you ain't me man. Um you know, like definitely the error of blogger as pejorative just like very dismissive. Um I think in some sense it was like a lot of things do super painful and professionally traumatic. But.

17:48.68
wearabletakeover
Oh my god.

18:06.80
Chris Wink
Also then shaped probably the worldview I have now where I was like well fuck it man. You don't own this shit like I will I believe in this work So I will do it for my purposes. So I believe it's a strategy to help grow a community that we want to have a relationship with and build a business around.

18:10.50
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes, yes.

18:23.93
Chris Wink
And now a decade you know fifteen years later the evolution of community companies is something to be taken seriously the idea of community as priority the um use of of what I'm calling journalism thinking to to to to invest in community. Offer me like I don't really care if some potential old head of mine from fifteen years ago didn't think we were a news organization enough. It's just like for me to be saying like no one can tell you that you can't do marketing because marketing is just a strategy.

18:59.71
wearabletakeover
Um.

19:01.55
Chris Wink
Like what it wouldn't even mean they wouldn't make sense of somebody that you can't do marketing and I increasingly feel like Journalism's doing like that there are some rules and best practices that we have to honor ah but outside of news organizations I believe that Journalism is a strategy that can be deployed like so many others.

19:16.83
wearabletakeover
I love it and I and I love how you had that belief in yourself which has led you to this particular point now and and you hit on that fact of the recession right? And here today what we're hearing in the news is oh, it's not here yet. But it's coming and then there's you know mumblings that oh when it comes. It's gonna hit hard so from where you sit understanding that there's been a tremendous evolution in tech ecosystems especially you know with growth on the East Coast what are 3 top skills that you. Recommend um, tech founders. Um, those in the ecosystem have in order to thrive and and you mentioned one and I don't know if this is in your top but you were talking about the journalistic thinking. But what are what are some ah recommendation for 3 skills that they should have.

20:14.50
Chris Wink
Um, there's obviously like as you know, probably better than I do There are so many different kinds of people who quote unquote work in tech that the skills are enormous. And wide-r ranging and you can at any given moment say you know these programming languages are are evolving these digital marketing tactics are evolving these product or project management. Best practices are trending like those things will always. Whole bunch of content marketers will write blog post the beginning of every year that will say the 2022 hot skills. You must have and like god bless them and go do that. Um, a lot of it I can tell you from the inside. The machine is nonsense. It's obviously ultimately what stack any given companies investing in but the stuff that I think.

20:52.67
wearabletakeover
Yes, ah.

21:01.65
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

21:05.52
Chris Wink
But you asked me what are the top skills that run across all of them I guess that they risk being cliche but I mean 1 is just like just like thirst thirst for knowledge ability.

21:21.58
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

21:25.44
Chris Wink
Course correct when you're wrong and like not being an asshole to your coworkers those 3 things like learn course correct. Don't be a jerk but they like.

21:31.77
wearabletakeover
Yes, say that.

21:44.32
Chris Wink
You can go so far with those 3 because I've seen people with different mixes of them and I think that first one is the important one for me. It probably is maybe the reportery. But I've with external partners and the teammates I'm so struggled when.

21:44.80
wearabletakeover
If you can.

22:02.32
Chris Wink
The people who either get stuck and don't ask for help and or don't ever think to be like well maybe I'll just email someone and ask for their help. Um, and the people who thrive are the ones who are like well just you know build a network and get on a Zoom call and say you keia you do this stuff and I don't you just help talk me through it a little bit.

22:18.83
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes, yes.

22:22.16
Chris Wink
There's people who get build a network to just like help me like the power of like the 20 minute conversation with someone who just like helps you get unblocked is so powerful and that's more important than whether you are right now like strong in Django or whether you're um.

22:29.87
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

22:41.71
Chris Wink
Like great with with like demand gen marketing those are all things that you do have to figure out but like we know that stuff's becoming commoditized. You can buy a course you can watch some Youtube videos and and if you really wanted to.

22:54.44
wearabletakeover
PS.

23:00.87
Chris Wink
There are twelve weeks fourteen week courses that can get you on the doorstep of almost any skill outside of like heart surgery. Um, you can get that's I'm so that's I'm excited about thought. Okay, so like yeah we might we might be there the the surgery boot camp.

23:06.70
wearabletakeover
Um, maybe we'll see what these new wearables do but ah.

23:18.23
Chris Wink
Um, that's going to come soon enough but to like with all of that with with the tactical skills at your fingertips it. It is all this like are you willing to learn are you willing to course correct are you willing to be a good teammate or like those are my 3 answers.

23:32.16
wearabletakeover
You know what Chris I'm gonna have my team listen to this over and over and over again because um, recently and they're doing a good job get to look this up absolutely. But also you know I tell them like you have to trust me I'm telling you what I know and you have to.

23:34.12
Chris Wink
To get get to get the listens option. Yeah, got it got it right in.

23:47.61
wearabletakeover
Hungry If you're not growing. You're dying and I'm so proud of my team. Let me let me make sure I say that to everyone that's listening I'm so proud of my team because they are stepping outside of their comfort zone and I have a team of experienced consultants and accountants bankers and teachers and they're all getting in.

23:52.37
Chris Wink
I.

23:59.24
Chris Wink
Right.

24:05.17
wearabletakeover
To this groove where we're curating some of the content for next year's youth experience. They're all getting really uncomfortable and learning some of these other components and wearable technologies so that they can be well versed so that they've experienced it and also gain their internal certification on wearable tech.

24:13.34
Chris Wink
Um, move.

24:24.74
wearabletakeover
But I love that you're saying that and the way things are changing things are changing quickly. Things are changing so fast and I have so many people within my age category and by the way Chris I use excellent moisturizer. So I don't look my age. Okay, but.

24:27.58
Chris Wink
We.

24:36.86
Chris Wink
Um.

24:42.30
wearabletakeover
But I have so many people in my age group outside of you know what I do at Wtv that say hey, um, tech I just term I just turn off and I'm like no, you can't because everything is changing this concept of smart homes. It's not going away.

24:50.83
Chris Wink
And.

24:58.38
wearabletakeover
The way that all of our devices are interconnected is not going away. We're not saying that you have to be a guru but you should have some thirst of knowledge as you said so that you are not left behind because my concern especially when we talk about the underrepresented community.

24:59.21
Chris Wink
Um, your faith.

25:16.97
Chris Wink
Evening.

25:17.14
wearabletakeover
There's already a digital divide and if people start to turn off if they hear the word tech. They're only going to be further behind so unless you want to live off the grid in a place where you are. You know you can sustain yourself. You've got to pay attention folks. You have to pay attention and Chris said it here. Gotta you got to remain hubble learn but then also ask and Chris that that was an area that was difficult for me my advisors. No I was that superwoman I could do it myself and I have to show people that I know what I'm doing. Let me tell you it was exhaust.

25:37.88
Chris Wink
Krisina here.

25:45.43
Chris Wink
You you.

25:52.39
Chris Wink
Um, yeah, well that and it's natural. Well just I I I had to get a real talking to to get more comfortable with I don't know I have a very vivid memory is I mean.

25:53.33
wearabletakeover
Sing when you go ahead.

26:05.76
wearabletakeover
The.

26:11.59
Chris Wink
It more comes from my journalism practice I was um in Harrisburg Pennsylvania covering state government and a particular a particular hearing I think I I think was literally one of the discussions that I was reporting on was the.

26:18.57
wearabletakeover
Wow.

26:31.36
Chris Wink
Percentage content milk fat content in dairy cows because an editor of mine said Good early Journalism training is to be sent to someplace like that and go find the story so he assigned me this incredibly arcane. Narrow specific committee to go write him a story. Um and I came back with my notes and we were going through housing to write my story and I had a bunch of like you know acronyms written down and and like little note things and he's like well what does that? What does that mean and I was like oh I don't know I thought I thought maybe you would know or like I could just.

27:02.79
wearabletakeover
No.

27:09.32
Chris Wink
Google it or something um and he's like why didn't you ask like I Don kind of felt weird. Everyone knew what they were talking about so it felt weird for me to interject and he's like you're a fucking journalist like that. That's like your entire job is to ask questions.

27:26.41
wearabletakeover
So thanks for coming to you.

27:28.84
Chris Wink
He really? yeah, he really hammered me and he that like it was like a summer period that he broke me and I really recognized how much I had the like I'm gonna just play this out pretend like I know what everyone's talking about which sometimes you do when you're with a friend and you don't really care what the person's talking about.

27:45.16
wearabletakeover
Right? right.

27:47.46
Chris Wink
But like if you if you if you were like spoke to figured that I I had to get training and mentorship to be the one in the room to be most likely to say oh I don't know what that means and and later in my life I also got.

28:00.65
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

28:06.58
Chris Wink
There's a real privilege that I can operate with that means I think it's even more incumbent on me as ah as a white male Ceo I can be perceived or assumed that I have knowledge or confidence. Whatever and so it's a lot easier. Be like oh I don't know what that acronym means um and I kept finding that there were times when I would ask that and like oh bunch of people in the room also didn't know and I just kind of helped everyone now I think I want to live in a world where everyone can feel comfortable doing that. But I find that it also is a kind of.

28:24.49
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

28:36.89
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

28:43.58
Chris Wink
Confidence and emotional intelligence. You can have just just be like whoa I actually don't know what that means? um and you'd be surprised how like literally no time ever to people think you're stupid. Um, and. How often you ask a question and it makes a person go oh yeah, well what does that mean so like and they slow down and you guys both get somewhere interesting and it's a it's a habit just like going to the gym that it at first feels unnatural. Ah, someone who doesn't go to gymry often I know feels very natural but then it becomes like I don't even really think about it that right like I don't even I probably say you know 20 times a day. Oh I don't know what that means and I'm not it just is just because my brain goes you don't know what that means just ask and it's a really important journalistic skill. But it's ah it's a skill to advance your career.

29:29.33
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

29:37.62
Chris Wink
Um, because we all know that time that oh shit I didn't ask what it meant right away and now my boss has been saying it and so like now I look now I do look a little silly to be like all right for six months you've been saying that I don't know what that that means so ask early is my advice.

29:49.36
wearabletakeover
Us ask early, ask learn to ask good questions that was a piece of advice. A mentor gave me when I graduated undergrad at the Ohio State University and she said learn to ask good questions and that has taken the Ohio State University you know, ah folks I might break out in a chair.

29:53.94
Chris Wink
E.

30:00.77
Chris Wink
Um, the Ohio state. Yeah, it's right? That's right.

30:09.53
wearabletakeover
But yeah, that's home and that was one of the best pieces of advice and I love how you said it may not be comfortable. It's a muscle that you have to build and then over time it could become an instinct but you could also be saving people in the room and in in this world.

30:14.50
Chris Wink
Nothing that.

30:24.92
wearabletakeover
Everything is moving so fast where there's so many different acronyms where people are asking about what is this other stuff I'm hearing about web three then I'm hearing about coding I'm hearing about the cloud all this other stuff. It's okay to ask questions. It's okay and the other thing I love Chris said is.

30:39.61
Chris Wink
Yep.

30:43.50
wearabletakeover
Just love how you just don't sugar coat stuff. You just say it like it needs to be said. Um you said I'm a white male Ceo and people automatically assume that I know these things and so I appreciate you saying that and I appreciate you setting the stage where it's safe to ask questions and get clarity.

30:48.72
Chris Wink
It's kind.

31:01.53
wearabletakeover
So that everyone is on common ground and this is one of the things you do on your new show on Linkedin so tell us a little bit more about that platform that you've created on Linkedin.

31:08.70
Chris Wink
Um.

31:13.42
Chris Wink
Yeah I mean Linkedin gets clowned on sometimes but consider me a a believer in the earnest nature that Linkedin has in this moment in time. Um, like for all of the the reasons and is a little.

31:24.87
wearabletakeover
Okay.

31:31.26
Chris Wink
Stiffer. It's a little like almost definition made corporate. Um, it just like everyone just kind of got their work stuff going on and it's just a lot I find it a lot less terrorized by ah insanity.

31:47.43
wearabletakeover
So the.

31:49.48
Chris Wink
As much as I love so many of the platforms like Linkedin just strikes me as just kind of like very straightforward so I'm a fan of the platform actually and I do like it I think it gives me feelings.

31:56.60
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

32:06.26
Chris Wink
Like I remember other social platforms giving me a long time ago where I go and they're like oh I get a bunch of neat updates about people I like um and so I think that is a good thing. So I appreciate the platform. Um, and so yeah, so during the.

32:24.24
Chris Wink
Like early stage of the pandemic when we were really trying to figure out when we technically were like what is happening. Um I was trying to do something with some time like really like spring 2020 like when all like business development sales activity paused for a second I started writing a newsletter um and spun up this like. Interview series that I was at first just just recording privately and putting up focus on company culture builders. We were finding this whole like in our reporting we we find these 2 big units of of often like clients and partners of ours. The company culture builders. The people who are building individual companies and the ecosystem builders who are here. I would put you in this category that people who are like looking at the the ecosystem or like the the support organizations of the overall systems. So those 2 communities we were identifying as crucial partners for us to they both wanted to reach out to the technologists and entrepreneurs at our core demo so sort of writing the newslet an interview series. The company culture builders entrepreneurs early employees hr folk people who are like really talking about the inside of their organizations. Um, so I've been writing that newsletter doing interview series and we flipped it over to to being a Linkedin live interview. Um I like the live format. It's fun, get decent viewership. Yeah, we've had. We've had you um among many other stars but we try to make that mostly be about like what is happening about building better organizations and sort of forms. This newsletter I do but the.

33:39.14
wearabletakeover
It is fun. Yeah.

33:56.16
Chris Wink
Video I'm trying to play more with a video. We're still very new at it. We've always were a very printheavy news organization or you know written word. Um so video is something that I'm trying to get more comfortable with.

34:07.30
wearabletakeover
Okay, would you you did a great job and I'm excited about all of the new things that you're introducing and I think that that's incredibly important because when we think about this tech startup ecosystem. There's a strong emphasis on starting but there's less emphasis and this is where you came in on building.

34:21.42
Chris Wink
Well said.

34:26.74
wearabletakeover
And a part of that is that I really feel a lot of the startup founders need to hone in on leadership as well. What does it mean to be a leader in this particular space now that you have this company. What do you really know about running the company.

34:34.80
Chris Wink
Will move.

34:42.88
Chris Wink
Um, yeah, yes.

34:46.42
wearabletakeover
It gets real and it can be intimidating and I love that you have this platform where folks can go to and get that quick lesson they can identify some folks where they can phone a friend and get the answer that they need so that they can be successful.

34:59.54
Chris Wink
Um, yes, yeah I mean I Really really plus one on Um, but I we should pause and give great Thanks to. The machine. We call the internet because it is still mind blowing to me that we have access to this to the greatest research tool known to man and.

35:17.38
wearabletakeover
The.

35:31.10
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

35:35.76
Chris Wink
For starting growing scaling a business. It is insane that you can like search nearly any question find incredible. Um, often really authoritative content videos tutorials speeches lectures. As you know he said like there's incredible, local entrepreneurship ecosystems are yeah ecosystems that have events still you know in this pandemic world that are like often like actually this is very good content. You know for so 15 years in my life I've been going to events are listening to content and like we take regreted because there's so much of it.

35:57.85
wearabletakeover
Yes, you.

36:10.55
wearabletakeover
Yeah.

36:12.54
Chris Wink
Now but a lot of it is actually pretty good like you actually can get pretty far alarm. The reason community proves powerful is that like last twenty like an internet connection and a library card can get you 80% there but the 20%

36:30.25
wearabletakeover
Um.

36:31.97
Chris Wink
How do I translate for my very specific use case or I can't quite wrap my head around that concept or I've read about it 4 times but like I can't really internalize it or oh this is shifting really quickly I want to know the trend or I just want to know what is our collective feeling on this matter right now because. Culture shifts quickly. That's the stuff that I think we technically have to do to keep filling the holes of knowledge like the curriculum shifts daily for being an entrepreneur and I hope that we can be that course material that shapeshifts.

36:55.83
wearabletakeover
Yes, it does it does.

37:10.70
wearabletakeover
Absolutely you know I but I was going to ask what are some of the events or experiences that you would recommend listeners attend you know whether that be virtual or in person so that they can ramp up.

37:10.22
Chris Wink
To what the moment needs.

37:26.51
wearabletakeover
Or you know, stay ramped up and I know that it technically Overall you've had um some different umbrellas of ah experiences I'll say that that you've offered and so and I know you're continuously evolving so during this time. Why don't you share with us some of the. Platforms that you have where folks can visit you guys in person with some of those events and then also provide some recommendations on things that people should look out for for 2023. So.

37:57.31
Chris Wink
yeah yeah I mean the the pandemic shook a lot of this but I'll start with ah a shout out to the communities around the world. Have so many resources that are really incredible that it's it's easy to take for granted now. But you're in Baltimore like and you go to the emerging technology center at any given night. There are serious people who are really there who who do know a thing or 2 and if you just need to like start getting your head around stuff. Programs are incredible. So like if you just type in city name coworking space city name accelerator city name tech meetup city name startup demo day like any of that nearly every city. And big city in the world and most mid-sized cities in the United States um have like excellent stuff out there and I think events are really valuable just because I I know I can remember those days and I've talked to those people like you just got to like go and you can say like I don't even really know what. I'm trying to do I just want to pick up on some of the language and how people talk and what are the trends and norms as you are proving the explosion of podcasts the number of like really excellent podcasts that are incredibly neat. So like only need a few hundred listens to be to be helpful like that.

39:07.38
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

39:21.40
wearabletakeover
Yeah.

39:24.57
Chris Wink
But that just is silly. Um you know now we're like whatever really specific work. You're working on and and yeah I mean we tactically want to for an increasing number of cities. Um, we want to be a newsletter that you you like just subscribe to to kind of keep track of. Who is doing what in that ecosystem. You know we found we are used for both aspiring technologists and entrepreneurs people who are just trying to wrap their head around how these trades work and increasingly for the experienced entrepreneurs and technologists to keep track of who in their hometown is is doing what and like just try to like. Tied in so we have some events we we are longtime partners of Baltimore Innovation Week we just had its tenth annual. Um, and we've done you know in Philadelphia we did host thing called Philly tech week which takes takes place in may and and will happen again. May Twenty Twenty three um

40:21.60
Chris Wink
But increasingly I think we should be after the pandemic I think we should be more focused on smaller scale of ends with those 2 exceptions I think we should be. More as the like the digital tool. We have a slack community that I think in that sense I picture that being an event in any given time that we have a 400 you know 4500 person slack community of people in a you know couple dozen countries and I think that community looks more like what I think events for us might evolve into.

40:33.48
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes.

40:49.90
Chris Wink
Um, and I let the the ecosystem build with think of these local communities. They are doing the like god's work because there's just so much of it fifteen years ago there wasn't and and so we were doing a lot of events because there wasn't that many now there's just so much great content that we don't need to do in and as much as the event space.

40:56.94
wearabletakeover
Yes.

41:04.82
wearabletakeover
I Love it and I'm a member of the slack community and I am working to be there a little more often. We're in a middle of big disease season. But for those that are listening I encourage you to become a member of that slack Community make sure that you're subscribed to the newsletter.

41:11.35
Chris Wink
Well, you have a few places to be.

41:23.72
wearabletakeover
Make sure you're following on Linkedin make sure you're following Chris per se so that when he you know launches this new work. We want to support him we want. We want him to know that the wearable takeover and the wearable tech ventures ecosystems are out there saying we support. Ah and because Chris you.

41:26.79
Chris Wink
Wow.

41:33.73
Chris Wink
You're too kind. I Like that.

41:43.32
wearabletakeover
Have laid tremendous foundation here on the East Coast and so you know I want to ask you this before we close out. Um, and you provide us with some additional information to stay in contact. But what do you hope the industry and you could take you can define what the industry looks like right from where you're sitting.

41:47.25
Chris Wink
Um.

42:02.98
wearabletakeover
What what do you? hope that looks like in 2030 and then especially as we go into twenty fifty now

42:09.85
Chris Wink
For the entirety of my business reporting career and for decades before it. The United States has been in a ritualistic decline and of entrepreneurship despite our story from Nineteen Seventy Two thousand and nineteen every year we got less and less entrepreneurial created fewer and fewer businesses despite many efforts from myself and many others um, kept getting less and less entrepreneurial and famously from the 70 to 2019 a steadily small percentage of what businesses were created were started by women people of color even us veterans and people from lots lots of different geographic backgrounds. The pandemic wildly accelerated the change of both of those trends.

43:01.75
wearabletakeover
Who.

43:04.26
Chris Wink
And last two years we are at the highest rates of business and corporation that we've had in decades at 1 point in 2021 I still cannot write my I have fact checked this so many times at 1 point in 2021 one in 5 black women in America. We're either starting or running a new business pure than 3 years astounding number. Um those trend I had my fair share of interviews with the comment with economists where were actually we technically are working on a giant inclusive entrepreneurship like.

43:24.87
wearabletakeover
Yes, yes, yes.

43:42.90
Chris Wink
Research paper basically on how do we get to where we are what's happening in this moment. What will happen next and to echo that work from doing a couple dozen interviews for that. My answer to your question of what do I hope for twenty thirty is that this last two year period has marked a paradigm shift where we'll see entrepreneurship. Increase and we'll see a wider array of every demographic in in the United States at least participating because entrepreneurship and economic growth helps all of us. So I hope we've passed a low point and. The work that we've done work that you have done and many others have done for ah years has had its impact and so my hope to answer your question will be a few years from now we'll look back and say we are still climbing in. The rates and the representation of entrepreneurship.

44:37.48
wearabletakeover
Absolutely absolutely I'm hopeful and I know that with the platform of technically folks you have no excuse that no excuse if you just listen to this podcast.

44:47.68
Chris Wink
Agreed.

44:51.58
wearabletakeover
And and look at the array of resources available. Ah technically and make sure you're sign up for their newsletter. You will be 1 smart cookie amongst all your friends seriously um and then also you gain that community and you have access. That's one of the things I love is that we're still accessible.

45:00.38
Chris Wink
Um, yeah.

45:10.32
wearabletakeover
Right? It's not that thing where you have someone. That's so far off and you can't reach them. Can't see them. Can't hear them. We're still in that space where we're still accessible and Chris I'm I'm just incredibly honored. So what? what did I forget to mention is what else? do you want to share with our audience. Um.

45:11.58
Chris Wink
Um, see.

45:30.17
wearabletakeover
And then maybe we can kind of have you back for next year with Philly tech week. We could kind of cover some stuff for that with some of those books that are there. But in the meantime what do we need to know that.

45:37.50
Chris Wink
Um I Love that.

45:42.71
Chris Wink
Um, we are in an era where the obstacle is no longer deciding what to do. But what not to do the web. The connectivity of the web. That's what's frying all our brains. There's just too many options. It's the serial aisle on a massive scale. Um, it's like that's a very different skill than it and most of us have really been trained to offer like we are very much used to choosing What should I do? It's an entirely different frame.

46:04.44
wearabletakeover
I.

46:19.25
Chris Wink
Have what should I not do and we don't have the culture for it. We still know that it's like it feels rude to tell people no or it feels rude to stop.. It's like very awkward still and I think that that that is a vestige of a different era and we'll have to move to a place where that gets more Normal. So I think that's a lot.. It's the only thing I would offer to folks. That echoes your point of like you you can literally I don't think we fully get how transformative is that like anything you want to know in like the history of human learning is nearly available to you. That's so.

46:57.73
wearabletakeover
Yes, no more of both encyclopedias at my grandparents house and the wall. So.

46:58.12
Chris Wink
Fucking insane and powerful right? They and so it's not we don't have to decide How can I look that up. It's like do I Really want to and that is all of our entrepreneurial Journeys now like things that I'm struggling with because. The entire business Journey. There's always something I'm struggling with so many things right Now. It's not can I get the answer. It's can I prioritize what what answer am I prioritizing getting right now. So It's not what do I want to do with what what?? What do I not want to do and and that's a skill that I am. Far from mastering and I there are people that I really admire who have that skill.. That's why I offer Thanks for the opportunity.

47:38.93
wearabletakeover
I love it. That's that's really awesome and and folks for those of you that are listening if you ever want to have a little bit of fun when you see nigh in person. Um, you can ask him about the dairy fat in in the milk or the milk and the dairy fat and then Chris I didn't tell you this but I used to sell eggs.

47:46.76
Chris Wink
Um, you.

47:53.82
Chris Wink
Yeah, yeah, oh I like this we might open a comedian store. You got the eggs I got the milk. Um, we might be in business.

47:56.78
wearabletakeover
So we could have a powerful icebreaker on breakfast. But.

48:06.34
wearabletakeover
We have a ball. We'll have them all covered and then we could get it to you know the rest of the the technically news. But Chris why don't you go ahead and share for those that are listening. They might be like oh you know what I want to go to that handle right now I want to go to that website right now.

48:17.56
Chris Wink
Yeah, yeah.

48:20.43
wearabletakeover
Shout it out for them and then for those of you that aren't listening. We will have this available in the show notes.

48:25.66
Chris Wink
Classic and be you interested and and the storytelling of reporting technically slash subscribe which is just technical dot L y slash subscribe is a great place to get in a newsletter. We're on all the the social medias. Um.

48:38.31
wearabletakeover
He.

48:41.39
Chris Wink
um um um I'm I'm I'm I a fledgling tick to in which I'm trying to figure out short form video. So if you're messing with that I'm Christopher Georgia wink on Tiktok.

48:48.57
wearabletakeover
Oh my gosh I gotta I gotta come guest star your tikac.

48:53.64
Chris Wink
Please please because it's not well. You may not want to yet, you may want me, you may you may want to wait that out and let me figure it out a little bit more before you want that to be honest, but yeah, we're on the social platform but subscribe check us out. Um, and yeah I mean we we're increasingly finding we have we have pretty heavy readership across 25 states so we are finding people.

48:59.56
wearabletakeover
Okay, so.

49:12.86
Chris Wink
Um, and and ah like 8 countries are relatively well represented. Um, we find people just using us as ah as a vehicle to know what entrepreneurial ecosystems look like so you don't have to be in 1 of the cities we report on daily. No, that's neat to appreciate it.

49:22.54
wearabletakeover
I love it I love it. So folks you heard it here. Make sure you stay tuned for some of our closing announcements from our sponsors from season 1 part to Chris I'm so excited. Can't wait to see you again in person folks make sure you tune into the show notes.

49:37.88
Chris Wink
Tell you.

49:41.95
wearabletakeover
And we are out.